Foundation
of the Christian Faith
Course: Salvation
Introductory
Lesson Two
Title: Christ our Propitiation
Text: Romans
Introduction: Meaning of Propitiation
In relation to God, propitiation involves two things.
The underlying thought concerning
propitiation is that sin is an offence to the holiness of God. Propitiation shows…
·
God’s hatred for
sin. Propitiation cannot change God's
anger towards sin. God's hatred towards sin is unchanging.
·
God’s love for
the sinner. The love of God is seen in that Christ died for us while we were
yet sinners.
Christ
became our propitiation on the cross.
Propitiation reveals the wrath of God and the love of God
God
cannot show mercy with disregard to truth.
But God
promised that mercy would be joined together with truth.
Psalm 85:10 ‘Mercy and
truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.’
Introductory
Story: No
place for mercy in justice. The sentence
must be carried out to satisfy the righteous demands of the law.
A person who has committed murder stands
trial. He is found guilty. The judge pronounces the death sentence.
The prisoner must satisfy the demands of
the law by being put to death.
What can the prisoner do to save
himself? Nothing
The prisoner can be strong and healthy or
weak and ill but it makes no difference.
He can do many good works but this also
makes no difference because there is a sentence of death over him. The sentence must be carried out or justice
has been denied. The law condemns and
the sentence of the law is death.
The demands of the law are inflexible.
The prisoner can never go free as the demands of the law must be satisfied. The guilty will always be condemned by the law.
A person in everlasting torment will never
be able to appease the righteous demands of the eternal God.
The gospel message is that we are in a similar situation as the prisoner on death row. The law demands death.
It is impossible to save ourselves.
But there is One who can meet the righteous demands of the law on our behalf – He stands in our place.
Christ is our propitiation.
Through His death on the cross propitiation is made for us.
It is by faith in His blood that we are propitiated.
Three Greek words translated propitiation
·
'Hilasterion' refers to 'Christ as the place of propitiation',
Romans
3:25. He is the
mercy seat where propitiation has been made by His blood.
·
'Hilasmos' refers to 'Christ as the means of propitiation', 1 John 2:2;
·
'Hilaskomai' meaning 'to make propitiation', Luke
Main
Points
1. God's holiness is satisfied by the sacrifice of the
sinless Son of God. The value of the
blood. Christ is able to be our
propitiation because of who He is. The blood satisfies God's requirements
because of the value of the blood of Jesus.
He alone is worthy to make propitiation.
a)
Christ alone is
able to make propitiation.
In the book of Revelation Christ alone is
worthy to redeem His people. Revelation 5:9-10 'And they sung a
new song, saying, You art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals
thereof: for You were slain, and has redeemed us to God by Your blood out of
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And has made us unto our God
kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.'
Question: Why is the blood of Christ our propitiation?
Because of the value of
the blood.
Peter wrote about the value of the
blood, 1 Peter 1:18-19
'Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition
from your fathers; But with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:'
The value of the blood is determined by who
Jesus is - the person of Christ.
Jesus said to His disciples 'Who do you say
that I am?' (Matthew
16:15).
Christ is the sinless Son of God.
He is able to be our propitiation because
He became man.
He is both God and
Christ was worthy to be an offering for sin
- as our substitute.
b) Christ our propitiation - the place of mercy.
The same word that is translated
propitiation is translated as 'mercy seat' (Greek Hilasterion). Hebrews 9:5 'And over it the cherubims of
glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak
particularly.'
The mercy seat was the cover or the lid of the Ark
of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies.
Atonement (Hebrew Kaphar
'a covering') was made at the mercy seat.
The blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat
by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16).
God's holiness is satisfied by the
sacrifice of the blood and God is able to propitiate (show mercy towards) the
sinner.
2. The blood satisfies God's justice - Christ identifies
Himself with the sinner, He is able to be the substitutionary
sacrifice. Christ is the means of
propitiation. He is our propitiation because of the expiatory sacrifice of the
cross. 1
John 2:2, 'And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for
ours only, but also for the whole world.'
a) The propitiatory sacrifice of the Son of God is the
expression of God's love for us. 1 John 4:10, 'Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that
he loved us, and sent his Son the propitiation for our sins.'
(1) The love of God is not due to anything good in us, Romans 5:8 'But God commends his love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Christ gave Himself for us
while we were still sinners.
(2)
He loved us knowing that
through His sacrifice we can be changed into His likeness. John
b) The propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus is both vicarious
(on behalf of another) and expiatory (pay the penalty). Christ was able to be
the vicarious and expiatory sacrifice on our behalf because He became like us.
(1) A vicarious sacrifice.
The eternal Son of God identified Himself with His people by becoming
man and took the place of the sinner on the cross. The sinner is taken from death to new
life.
Crucified with Christ
Risen with Christ.
(2) An expiatory sacrifice. The demands of the law were met through the
shedding of blood, Hebrews
9:22, 'And almost all things are by the law
purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.' The blood of Christ is the means of propitiation. Sin is covered by the blood. (Psalm 32:1). The wrath of God
towards sin is propitiated by the blood of Jesus Christ. The penalty for sin has been paid in full.
3. He is able to be merciful. He shows lovingkindness
towards the sinner who trusts in Him.
Christ is able to make propitiation to all those who call upon Him. The blood is able to save the 'whosoever'. 'Hilaskomai' meaning
'to make propitiation'.
a)
God delights in
mercy. Micah
b) The tax collector cries out 'be propitious to me'. Luke 18:13, 'And the publican, standing afar off, would
not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying,
God be merciful to me a sinner.' The tax collector called upon the Lord to be
merciful. There was no thought of self
righteousness. He knew he was a sinner
without hope of saving himself. The tax
collector went away justified because he trusted in Christ alone for mercy.
The
Pharisee in this story could not receive forgiveness because he trusted in his
own self righteousness.
The gospel
is to the whosoever.
Many
people come to Christ in prison. Those
who have been brought lowest are the most ready to call upon the Lord for
mercy.
c)
The eternal Son
of God became man and identified Himself with us so that He could become our
High Priest and offer Himself for our sins. Hebrews 2:17 'Wherefore in
all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people.' The wisdom and the greatness of God is revealed through the Gospel. God is able to show mercy to those who call
upon Him in faith because of the propitiatory sacrifice of the Son of God upon
the cross.
Summary:
1) The value of the blood - Jesus is the sinless Son of
God
2) The sacrifice of the cross is both vicarious and
expiatory.
3) God is shown to be just in justifying His people.
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